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Because No One Asked for My Opinion

I am so fired up about an article I just read that I can’t even wait to get home to blog from my computer. So I’m sitting at work, fingers flying across my phone.

On Facebook earlier I came across this article ripping apart the new 50 Shades of Grey trailer, giving four reasons why absolutely nobody should go see the film. “The weight of our future, our children’s future…partially rests on the decision you are facing.”

Dramatic much? It’s one movie (unless they make the sequels). How many thousands of other terrible, vulgar movies are out there? Super Troopers, Kick Ass, This Is The End…where are the cries to boycott these films that include children killing others, illegal drugs, rape? Things much worse, in my views, than consensual sex between two adults.

Courtesy of eonline.com

And that’s why this article doesn’t sit well with me. The author admits to not reading the books. That’s okay, you aren’t missing anything. I didn’t enjoy them myself and agree they aren’t well-written. But “As I Lay Dying” sucked pretty bad too and someone decided that was publish worthy. So let’s not attack E.L. James for something that started as a fan fiction and just blew up.

Secondly, if the author had bothered to read the books, he would know the two characters are participating in consensual sex. The girl even signs a contract stating she knows what she is getting in to. They have safe words. They take it slow (as much as you can with BDSM). I am by no means an expert with BDSM and while I’m sure it is blown out of proportion by these novels and now film, it is a part of sex that can’t be ignored.

By insisting nobody sees this movie because it is “wrong,” we are teaching young girls a dangerous lesson. However, before I continue with that thought I need to say this: I do not believe children should see this movie; clearly. At all.

Moving on.

I believe that by raising such a big fuss about this, we will teach women, girls who are experimenting, that this kind of sex is wrong, and therefore something is wrong with them if they become interested in it. This is not the case. If both parties are on the same page of what to expect during BDSM escapades, why is that so bad?

The author of the article also states feminists should not see this movie because “if 50 Shades of Grey makes the cut, then feminism is dead and buried,” because how could “a disturbing fantasy about a wealthy man physically dominating a woman…ever be considered acceptable in your circle”?

Let’s see. Because feminism is about allowing women the freedom to choose what they want not only in the workforce but in the bedroom as well. If I want to be the CEO of a major company and then be tied up by my lover behind closed doors whose business is that but my own?

Will I go see this movie? Maybe. Probably not. But you can bet your prudish, close-minded self I’ll be celebrating the sexual liberation this could bring thousands of women by slipping under the covers to let a special someone tie me up and do as they please.

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3 thoughts on “Because No One Asked for My Opinion”

Haha. Completely agree with your argument here. The hoopla over moral degradation is a chronic, cyclic thing. I think some folks wouldn’t know what else to do with their anger.

However, EL James’ writing is utter crap in my opinion, so I did enjoy that Matt Walsh guy’s critique to an extent: “It reads like a thesaurus procreated with a script from a soft core porn and then the baby fell into a vat of Lifetime Channel DVDs. My ‘inner goddess’ is rolling her eyes, my inner brain is hurting.” Hehehe.. I can’t disagree.